Whether you garden as a hobby or as professional, chances are that you garden because you love it. We all want to be able to do the things we love for a long time, so it’s important to be conscientious about how we’re using our bodies in the garden. We also don’t want our gardening to get in the way of other activities we love such as running, skiing, or playing with our kids. On this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Lee and Dr. Jason of Seattle-basedElevate Chiropractic and Rehab to talk with us about smart garden body mechanics.

HOW TO LISTEN:

SHOW NOTES:

Body tips for gardeners for common gardening activities like crouching, kneeling, lifting, and digging.

Activities we can be doing over the winter to help make sure our bodies are ready to go when spring rolls around

If you’re already dealing with movement issues, gardening be a good way to add more movement into your day

Important Take-aways:

Staying mobile and moving positions is important in the garden, as is stabilizing with your core. It’s a good idea to do a full range of motion exercises and even getting in a "warm-up" of sorts before you start to garden. Then, consider moving around every so often, at the most every 20 minutes. Whether it be changing position from kneeling to a deep squat or taking one knee, it is better to stay moving and not get caught in an awkward position for an excessive period of time.

The change of seasons as an opportunity to fix any issues that are causing you pain or not allowing you to complete activities as long as you would like, whether that be in the garden or elsewhere. Exercises to condition the core, strengthen the posterior chain, and to expand mobility are perfect winter activities. Dr. Lee and Dr. Jason are offering EB podcast listeners a resource with all of this information.

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Our Guests:

Jason Hodges, DC

CHIROPRACTOR | FOUNDER

Dr. Jason Hodges received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, CA. He has completed post graduate and professional training in corrective exercise therapy (CES NASM), fascial movement taping (RockTape), Active Release Technique (ART), Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT), Graston (IASTM), Functional Movement Screens (FMS / SFMA), Foundation Training, functional blood chemistry and Functional Medicine. He is always striving to improve his efficiency, effectiveness, and relevance as a healthcare practitioner through deliberate practice, exposure to new techniques, educational seminars, and staying up-to-date on health and wellness research.

Jason grew up near the Tahoe National Forest and naturally he fell in love with the outdoors. He is an avid snowboarder, surfer, and backcountry enthusiast. Playing the guitar is his primary source of meditation.

Lee Schuster, DC ATC FRCms

CHIROPRACTOR

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Dr. Lee Schuster moved to Seattle in April 2017. As a student-athlete and captain of the rugby team, Lee received his undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from Canisius College in 2013. In his experience as an ATC, he has worked with Olympians, Professional Rugby Players, NCAA Athletes, High School All-Americans, military service members, and weekend warriors; establishing their individual goals and providing the appropriate intervention to achieve such. Feeling the need to expand on what he learned as a Certified Athletic Trainer, and in order to improve the care his patients receive, Lee decided to pursue a Doctor of Chiropractic degree at New York Chiropractic College.

Lee is an avid outdoorsman, taking every chance he gets to explore the beauty that is the PNW. In his free time you may find him backpacking, bouldering, hitting the slackline, or practicing yoga or meditation. Dr. Lee believes the mind-body connection is of the utmost importance in the healing process.

Hilary Dahl co-owner of Seattle Urban Farm Company and host of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast. For ten years Hilary Dahl has been helping beginning and experienced growers create beautiful and productive gardens. She has the unique experience of working in on a wide range of projects, from small backyard garden plots to multi-acre vegetable farms. She also works in her own garden every day after work. Hilary created the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast as a way to share effective and efficient garden management techniques and as a way to spread her love of growing food and flowers.